Established in 2022, CIRCLE of Friends (CoF) is a space for international students, as well as students interested in different cultures, to hangout, make friends, share, learn, and get support. Every Tuesday and Friday from 6:00-8:00 p.m., you can join CoF teams for all kinds of fun activities, helpful presentations, meaningful discussions, free snacks, and much more!
Chat 1:1 with Dan, Executive Director of CIRCLE
CoF Program Goals:
- Provide a welcoming space where international students can hang out, make friends and find a community where they belong. (Connection & Community)
- Create a safe space where international students can share their stories, voice their concerns, and support one another (Safe space)
- Connect international students with campus resources to support their academic and professional growth. (Resources and support)
- Create fun activities to enhance cultural understanding, as well as social aspects of being a college student in the U.S. (Social life)
- Build a casual environment for students to reach their full potential. (Leadership)
Meet the CoF Team
CoF Leadership
Dan Zhu (朱老師) (she/her) | Executive Director, CoF Program Founder
From: Jiangxi & Beijing, China
Languages Spoken: Mandarin Chinese, Hakka and English
Major: I did my undergraduate in BNU (北师大) and finished my PhD in English composition at UW a while ago.
Fun fact: I have two lovely mixed boys: Miles and Sebastian.
Marion Ferguson (she/her) | Assistant Director for Undergraduate Programs, CoF Program Manager
From: Ithaca, New York
Languages Spoken: English
About me: I was an international student at the University of Edinburgh. I love to paint and explore the beautiful PNW with my dog!
Sangey Rinchen (he/him) | CIRCLE Student Events Manager, CoF Program Leader
From: Bhutan
Languages spoken: English, Dzongkha, a little German
Major: Statistics
About me: I enjoy long hikes, writing stories, and spending time with my family!
Leo Fan (he/him) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin, English
Major: Informatics
About me: I climbed Mt. Baker last spring.
Alicia Liu (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Informatics
About me: Love coffee✌️
Michael Mam (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Khmer, and French
Major: Intended Industrial Design
About me: I’ve never seen snow! I like playing guitar, chess, going to museums or markets, and trying different cuisines. I’m still new to Seattle so any restaurant reccs would be appreciated.
Natalie Hu (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, a little Spanish and Korean
Major: Intended Business
About me: II love watching F1, skiing, playing guitar and the Fast & Furious franchise.
Rangel Zhou (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Chinese, English, a little Spanish
Major: Industrial Engineering
About me: Love playing tennis, drawing, all outdoors, and photoshooting, also a big animal lover.
Dia Dora (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Spanish
Major: Informatics (Data Science)
About me: I love film, singing, and exploring cafes in Seattle!
Philip Chen (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Intended Business
Celine Park (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Korean
Major: Medical Anthro
About me: I love listening to musics and fishing.
Shresth Goyal (he/him) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi
Major: Informatics in Data Science (intended)
About me: I love watching F1, and love going to Dough Zone for their noodles.
Aniket Jain (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, and Marathi
Major: Mechanical Engineering
About me: I love playing soccer, eating sushi and watching Bollywood movies.
Amy Cao (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin and English
Major: Undeclared
About me: I love reading books and watching movies. I also enjoy going to concerts. I sometimes write novels and poems.
Navya Chugh (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Hindi
Major: Statistics
About me: I love doing yoga and binge-watching series.
Yung-ching Lin (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
About me: I love swimming and eating good food, if you have any places you know, please tell me.
Judy Lien (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Psychology & Statistics
About me: I pilot planes professionally
Monrada (MJ) Sae-Seai (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Thai, un poco Español
Major: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
About me: I’m a singer (love Disney and TS) and I songwrite sometimes! I also love to play sports: volleyball, tennis, badminton, iceskating!
Maritza Galeana (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Spanish
Major: Finance
About me: I love music and watching sunsets.
Mei (she/her) | CIRCLE of Friends Peer Advisor (PA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Informatics in Data Science (intended)
About me: I love spending rainy afternoons playing random notes on my cello or inviting my friends over for potlucks!
Ketki Vaidya (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi
Major: Human-Centered Design & Engineeringx
About me: I’m a HUGEE food enthusiast, and I love watching movies, kayaking, listening to music, and exploring the outdoors.
Kelly Du (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English and Mandarin
Major: Psychology
About me:
Sally Zhang (she/her) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: Mandarin and English
Major: Psychology
About me: I like playing video games and spent tons of time on it. I can chat a lot about Nintendo and PC games.
Aarav Chhabra (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Hindi
Major: ACMS (Intended)
About me: i love listening to music, watching F1, TV shows and movies!
Houma Yoshimochi (he/him) | CIRCLE Ambassador (CA)
Languages spoken: English, Japanese
Major: Aerospace Engineering
About me: Love hooping
CIRCLE of Friends Winter Quarter Events Overview
| Date | Event Name | Time | Location |
| 1/9 (Fri) | CoF Kick-off: Global “Casino” Night | 5:00-8:00 p.m. | Denny Room, Oak Hall |
| 1/13 (Tue) | Karaoke & Social Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 1/16 (Fri) | Boba and Friends Making Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 1/20 (Tue) | Study Abroad info session & Games with Puppies | 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 1/23 (Fri) | Speakeasy Cafe | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 1/27 (Tue) | 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
| 1/30 (Fri) | Ice Skating at the Kraken Iceplex | 2:00-3:00 p.m. | Kraken Comm. Iceplex |
| 2/3 (Tue) | Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 2/6 (Fri) | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
| 2/10 (Tue) | Valentine’s Day crafts | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 2/13 (Fri) | Lunar New Year Celebration | 5:00-7:30 p.m. | Intellectual House |
| 2/17 (Tue) | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
| 2/20 (Fri) | CoF goes to the Meowtropolitan 🐈⬛ | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Seattle Meowtropolitan |
| 2/24 (Tue) | Pool and Table Tennis Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | HUB Games |
| 2/27 (Fri) | Tangyuan Making Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 3/3 (Tue) | Board Game Night | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 |
| 3/6 (Fri) | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
| 3/13 (Fri) | 10:00 am-12:00 pm | Schmitz Hall 250 | |
The CIRCLE of Friends is proudly funded by the Services and Activities Fee (SAF), a student-levied fund designed to enhance the out-of-class experience for students at the University of Washington. SAF supports a wide range of programs and services that promote students’ cultural, emotional, intellectual, physical, and social well-being. Through this funding, we’re able to offer ongoing support and create a space where all students can thrive and feel at home.